FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — The final round of U.S. Open qualifying delivered one of the most emotional, generational matches of the 2024 hard court swing, as rising Japanese prospect Rei Sakamoto earned his spot in the tournament’s main draw — at the expense of the country’s greatest men’s tennis star, who was chasing one last Grand Slam appearance to cap his final professional season.
Delayed one full day by persistent rain, the winner-take-all final qualifying clash on Friday ended with a 6-4, 7-6(3) victory for 20-year-old Sakamoto, capping a stunning run that pushed the 36-year-old Nishikori out of the final Grand Slam of the year and brought a poignant end to his bid for one last major spotlight.
For the young up-and-comer, the win was everything he had dreamed of — except for who it came against. Sakamoto grew up idolizing Nishikori, recalling vividly when he was just 8 years old watching the veteran star become the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final at the 2014 U.S. Open, a breakthrough that reshaped Japanese tennis forever.
“I honestly grew up watching him play and he was my idol for my whole life,” Sakamoto told reporters after the match. “It’s also a pity to see his last season.”
Sakamoto typically avoids looking at the qualifying draw ahead of his matches to avoid distractions, but this matchup was impossible to miss. Even before the final round, his mother spoiled the pairing, texting him after the initial draw was released: “Hey, I hope you can make it to the final and play Kei.”
Nishikori, a former world No. 4 who has battled chronic injuries for nearly a decade, announced earlier this year that 2024 would be his final season on tour, with his retirement planned following the Japan Open later this fall. His ranking had dropped too far to earn a direct main draw spot at the U.S. Open, but tournament officials awarded him a wild card into qualifying, giving him a shot to extend his Grand Slam career one last time.
The veteran lived up to expectations through the first two qualifying rounds, picking up two wins to set up the clash with Sakamoto. He even saved two match points from the young star Friday, pushing the second-set tiebreaker to a competitive finish. But Sakamoto’s power prevailed, as he fired 19 aces total, closing out the match with a final unreturnable serve that sent him through.
Despite the disappointing loss, Nishikori embraced the moment as a passing of the torch, praising Sakamoto as the future of Japanese men’s tennis. “Not happy to lose today, but I’m happy for Rei,” he said after the match. “He’s the next Japanese top player.”
After the final point, U.S. Open officials honored Nishikori with a framed portrait of his career highlights on court, with Sakamoto joining the legend to hold the frame for a commemorative photo. For Sakamoto, the milestone of reaching his first U.S. Open main draw carried a heavy, bittersweet weight.
“I think a lot of people, most of the people still follow tennis because of him,” Sakamoto said. “So he’s a superstar and he did a lot to Japanese tennis I think.”
Top men’s seed Alexander Zverev echoed that sentiment, noting that injuries cut short what would have been one of the greatest careers in modern men’s tennis. “I think his career would have been one of the best, maybe on a similar level to maybe an Andy Murray or Stan Wawrinka if he didn’t have so many injuries, because he was injured a lot, especially in his prime,” Zverev said. “Once he got up to No. 4 in the world, No. 5 in the world, every single time he got injured. So I’d say in that aspect he was a little bit unlucky, but from a tennis point of view, he was amazing.”
While Nishikori’s exit dominated the qualifying storylines, other notable results unfolded across the qualifying courts. 2024 Olympic women’s singles gold medalist Zheng Qinwen secured a comeback three-set win to book her main draw spot, while 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu — who has spent much of her post-title career sidelined by injury — blew a late lead and fell in three sets. Former semifinalist Grigor Dimitrov advanced to the main draw Thursday after his opponent withdrew from their final qualifying match, in a twist that echoes the 2019 tournament where Dimitrov beat Roger Federer in what became Federer’s final U.S. Open match.